Annexation Bill May Be Blocked

February 14, 2002|By Terri Somers STAFF WRITER

TALLAHASSEE — Members of Broward County's legislative delegation spent much of the fall negotiating the touchy issue of annexation, holding hearings and shaping a plan to annex some of the county's last unincorporated communities to cities that weren't necessarily enthused about taking them.

But Wednesday the delegation learned a Monroe County Republican who chairs a key committee plans to block the bill unless the most controversial annexations are removed.

"This is a gross abuse of his power as committee chairman," said Rep. Stacy Ritter, D-Coral Springs, the delegation's leader.

The delegation voted to send Rep. Ken Sorenson, who chairs the Local Government and Veterans Affairs Committee, a letter telling him the omnibus package would not change and suggesting he bring it up for a hearing.

Ritter said Sorenson told her the bill would not get a hearing unless the delegation removes proposals to move ahead with the annexations: Broadview Park and Broward Estates near Plantation, Rock Island near Interstate 95 and Oakland Park Boulevard, and several unincorporated neighborhoods near Pembroke Park.

All the areas are minority neighborhoods, said Sen. Mandy Dawson, D-Fort Lauderdale, who fought for the annexations in the last two legislative sessions.

Opponents of annexation contended it was unconstitutional to force these cities to take on large unincorporated areas that have a low tax base or are home to lower-income residents and minority communities, Dawson said.

Last year Pembroke Park hired lobbyists to block an annexation they opposed. That annexation proposal is part of this year's bill.

Traditionally the Legislature moves local bills forward when the delegation is in agreement on the bill; it's rare for a legislator from another county to block a local bill.

Last year the Broward delegation sponsored separate bills for each annexation, but the most controversial ones died in Sorenson's committee. This year, the delegation combined all the annexations in one omnibus bill that also includes several less controversial annexations in hopes that would improve their chances. They wrote the bill after holding a series of hearings around the county.

But Sorensen approached Ritter and said he still was not satisfied with the work Broward did on its annexation issue.

Rep. Matthew Meadows, D-Lauderhill, said Sorensen is "grossly misinformed" about the work that went into revamping the annexation issue.

If the delegation chooses not to take the four areas out of the omnibus legislation, the whole thing could be killed, as well as any other Broward-related legislation brought up this session, Ritter said.

Terri Somers can be reached at tsomers@sun-sentinel.com or 850-224-6214.